God is in the Small Stuff {Learning contentment}

"I have learned in whatever situation, I am be to be content" Phillippians 4 v 11 

It's a massive challenge to me to learn contentment.  I'm such a 'next stage' person, always considering what our next move should be and what we should be looking to do.

With wanting so desperately for my husband to find a new job and him not being successful despite a handful of opportunities, we're feeling the strain of our existing situation tenfold.  Every late night, stressful scenario, cancelled days leave, is just another load to bear.

How can you learn contentment when your situation seems so rubbish?

I believe the following steps can help (I am writing these from a place of reflection and as a challenge to myself!)

Learning and remembering to give thanks for the small things.  
Sometimes, we're so preoccupied with looking up, asking God to move in and change our circumstances, that we don't pay attention to God working in the small stuff.  Take, for example, the fact that in the past month we have had around 5 car break-ins on our street and yet (quite by accident) my car sat unlocked for three days and was totally untouched.  God is working in the small things!

I think sometimes it can feel like we're looking for God in every day scenarios but the truth is that God is interested in the everyday.  If he knows the number of hairs on our head you can be sure he knows all the minute details of our lives and cares about them!

It's important as well to give thanks for those small details.  I have recently joined in with a linky on Catch A Single Thought called 'Reasons to be cheerful' which is all about finding the joy in the small every day things.  Never take things for granted.  I know several families who are dealing with sickness at the moment and that makes me so thankful to God for my own, healthy family.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" Thessalonians 5 v 16-18

Remember that God is in control of our lives.

If we truly believe that, and can have faith that God has a perfect plan for us, then we don't need to sweat over what the next stage of our lives will look like.  We just need to listen to what God is saying right now and be obedient.

This also means giving our expectations up and surrendering them to God.  What I want my life to look like; how I think things should work out; in my ideal world what would our lives be...this can be tricky as I believe that God does place dreams and desires on our hearts.  But the key here is that if it truly is a God given dream, then by moving when God says move, and being obedient to him, then the dreams and desires God has given us will come to fruition.

Don't compare your lives and situations with other peoples.

We have no idea of what goes on behind closed doors and whilst people may seem to have it all sorted out and to be in the right place, we really can't know the personal struggles they are going through.

Does anyone else have any tips for learning how to be content?  I'd love to hear them!

Feeling Cornered

Why is it that things always seem to go belly up all at once?  We're only on the second day of the month, a month which is going to be extremely time precious for me and everything has started to unravel at the seams.  No, not unravel as that indicates a slow process; burst wide open would be more apt!

Firstly, it is Eli's birthday party this Saturday and Meg's the week after.  I had hoped that I would have lots of space this week to finalise details and get everything ready.  So naturally Meg was up most of the night on Sunday being sick, meaning I had to take the day off work on Monday.  Eli then followed suit and has become increasingly unwell throughout the week meaning someone was going to have to take the day off today with him.  This is always a point of contention in our house as my husband will never take days off and would rather cart the children off to nursery regardless of their health and wellbeing (ok, I may be exaggerating a teensy bit...) so it has caused the house to be full of tension which I hate.

On top of that we booked a holiday with our savings and paid in full and then our washing machine broke, so now we are living with no washing machine.  Trust me when I say that a husband who works on building sites, two small children and a dog don't mix well with no washing machine.  I never thought I would be craving the day I could do a load of washing but there you go, I am!

The job that we were so hopeful about for my husband has gone totally silent, after being head-hunted and told the company were so keen to meet him, he hasn't yet made it to interview stage yet so we just don't think it's going to happen.

It's easy, with hindsight, to comment on how you knew God always had a plan, was always walking alongside you as evidenced by the small things that you perhaps didn't see at the time but what about when you're living in it?

In my heart I know that God has a plan but when I'm living out my day to day life and it's one negative thing after the next I feel like I've lost control and I just want to climb into bed and pretend that everything around me doesn't exist.

It's learning to walk through the negatives with your head up, trusting in God that he will guide us through.  I can vouch for the fact that it is not easy.  At all.

A few weeks ago, I came across this song and instantly fell in love with it.  I initially related to it in terms of stepping out into all that God has for us but as I was singing it yesterday in the desperate hope that it would help Eli to go to sleep, I considered that it actually applies to all situations in our lives.



"I will call upon your name, keep my eyes above the waves.
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace.
I am yours, and you are mine."

Right now it feels like I am being completely belted by my waves and more like I'm drowning than walking but I guess that's where reliance on God comes into it.

The knowledge that he works all things for our good, not just some of them, or the amount that our behaviour merits.  All things.

I'm sorry this is something of a mournful post today.  It would be so easy to write this down and then not click on 'publish', to vent my thoughts and feel better in myself but never get further than that but I don't think that's right.  I started this blog to share all aspects of my walk of faith and that means the positive and the negative.  

So, bear with me on this one please.  I hope to bring you some cheerier news next time!!

Jump {Five Minute Friday}

I'm joining in with Five Minute Friday as usual this week.  If you don't know what it is then in short:

1. Write for 5 minutes flay on the prompt with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back and invite others to join in.

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you.  Every writer longs to feel heard.

This week's prompt is Jump

Ready?

GO!

That terrifying moment when your heart is beating wildly, so much so that you feel as though it will burst out of your chest; your mouth feels dry, your hands are clammy...and you have a choice to make about whether you close your eyes and go for it or whether you take a step back and walk away.

How often are we faced with moments like this in our walk of faith?  One of the testers I have as to whether something is from God is how terrified it makes me feel.  If I start to feel panicky, nervous and twitchy...then it’s usually a God thing.  God likes to challenge us, he likes to move us out of our comfort zones and forwards into his plan.

A few years ago I visited Zambia (I say a few, it was almost 8 years!) and whilst we were there a friend did a bungee jump over the Zambezi.  I can remember watching him and thinking what an absolutely crazy person he was.  How desperate for an adrenaline high do you have to get to willingly throw yourself off a bridge over a raging torrent of water?  There was no way I would ever do something like that.  Not a chance!

Walking with God can sometimes feel like that though I think.  Part of the learning journey I am on at the moment, and I'm sure if you've read each of my posts you’ll soon be sick of me sharing about it, is how much we need to rely on God.  That moment when you feel utterly scared about what you are being called to do, that’s the moment when you need to put your trust 100% into God.  It cannot be done in your own strength; it has to be in God’s.

We are all called by God to live such amazing lives.  Each of us has our own perfectly handcrafted plan and to walk in the fullness of that plan we need to walk hand in hand with God.  I don’t think it can be done any other way.  Yes it will mean risks, it will mean leaps of faith, it will mean taking a deep breath and trusting that our God is always there to catch us.

Have you ever made a physical jump? There’s that moment when you are totally exhilarated, almost weightless and you feel completely free.  Your mind clears and when you land you feel as though you could take on the world.  However scary it might seem taking that initial step, think about the rewards of what you will be leaping into. Go for it!

STOP!

Thankful {God has a plan!}

Today I am thankful that God has got a bigger plan for us.  

Meg received her place for primary school today and it is our first choice for placement.  A voluntary aided C of E, which is such a fantastic family school.  Not putting our catchment school down we were really nervous she would end up placeless but praise God she didn't and she will be going to a school with two other children that she knows from our Church.

My husband has also got an interview in the next week or so for a job which would be based locally.  It was supposed to be tomorrow but there are so many line managers who want to be a part of the interview and meet with him that they are struggling to find a date they can all do.  He was head-hunted for this role and thus far seems to fit all their criteria; they wanted someone who lived in the area we do with certain qualifications, all of which my husband has.  It will be a completely different role to the one he does now but he wants a change so that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I don't know what the outcome will be but so far so good and we are trusting God that if this is a job hand picked for my husband that it will go well and he will know it's the right decision to make.

I am thankful that God is as much at work in the small details of our lives as he is in the big things.

Can't wait to see what's next!

Here {Five Minute Friday}

It's been a busy little week and I haven't had any chance at all to sit down at the computer and write but I didn't want to miss out on Five Minute Friday as I am really starting to enjoy the freedom of writing whatever comes to mind. 

So, if you don't know what Five Minute Friday is, here's what you do:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat on the prompt with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
2. Link back and invite others to join in.
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

This week's theme is Here

GO!

Last Sunday our Pastor was talking to us about restoration, about God's ultimate plan for our lives and he said something which has stuck in my mind all week, "God isn't forgetful, he doesn't leave us outside alone"...in other words, He is Here.  Always.  Right now wherever you are.  God is there.

Sometimes it can be so so easy to forget that.  I do it all the time and never fail to be surprised when God reveals that he has been present all along. 

At the moment my husband is looking for another job.  He wants to stay in a similar line of work but do something a bit different, something with better hours so that he can spend more time with us as a family instead of leaving the house at 6.15am every morning and not getting home until after 6pm.  Unfortunately though he's been struggling to find a job.  Companies want to employ him, just doing the same work that he is doing now which isn't what he's after.

Last month a great opportunity came up which opened our eyes to the different kinds of work he could do.  We were so excited, feedback from his interview was really great and we started to get a bit ahead of ourselves making plans about how our lives would be vastly different.  Then he didn't get the job.  Which sucked.  Not only that, he has spent the last month hitting his head against the wall not getting any other prospective job interviews.

I actually made the comment to him last week, after hearing some good news about a friend (I know, I need to learn to be a bit more gracious!) "why does it feel like everybody else is getting opportunities and we are just stuck?"

You think I would have learned after the last time I started making sweeping statements and writing situations off that God just doesn't work like that.  He must get very fed up watching me chase my tail around for an hour or so and then exclaiming that I've had enough, instead of simply trusting that he hasn't forgotten us.  That he is with us always and has our best interests at heart. 

Because, this week, my husband has had several job opportunities present themselves.  Much better job opportunities.  One in particular would be so beyond perfect that I daren't even get my hopes up for a second, just in case.  But it really proves to me once again that all I need to do is trust in God.  I am such a 'here and now' person that I struggle with trusting that it's all in hand.  I want to know what the next step is, what will it look like, when will it happen, how will I know etc etc 

It's something I'm working on at the moment!  And God keeps on with me.  I get in a muddle, finally remember that I'm not working in my own strength and then God opens the doors for us.  If only I could remember that in the first place I think our lives would be a good deal less stressful!!

So, my lesson for the week: God has not forgotten me, you or anybody else.  He is here. 

STOP!

After {Five Minute Friday}

I am joining in with LisaJo Baker again this week for Five Minute Friday.

Here's what you do:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat on the prompt with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
2. Link back and invite others to join in.
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

The theme this week is 'After'

Go!

Have you ever made a mistake?  The worst part, in my opinion is after the fact; when you realise you've done wrong and then have to deal with the consequences.  That sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know that you are going to have to face something that you'd really really rather not.  I, for one, am great at dodging dealing with stuff.  Burying my head in the sand and pretending situations don't exist?  Easy!

The thing is, God doesn't want us to live like that.  We have to learn to think wisely before we make our mistakes, and, for those times when we forget, we have to learn to act with grace and humility.  To go back and deal with those consequences we'd rather pretend didn't exist.

I remember one time on a work night out talking to my then boss and he said to me "why do you have to explain yourself to anyone?  Just be who you are and the rest of them can get lost" (This is the clean version!)  Wouldn't that just be a great way to live?  To be able to live your life without fear of having to come up with justifications for your behaviour, without having to worry about how other people view you.  To be however you wanted without ever having to offer up a single explanation for the way you have acted.

Except...it wouldn't.  People would get hurt, relationships would be damaged, it would be difficult to move forwards.  Life would be total chaos.

We are living in the 'after' of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us when he took our sin and our shame on himself.  That means we have a responsibility to make good on that.  That means there are consequences to the way that we live our life.  That we need to choose to live wisely and honourably. 

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse" Philippians 4 v 8-9 {The Message}

Easier said than done sometimes!  But, when we do choose to live our lives that way there is an amazing response.  I believe people feel secure in being part of your life because they know and understand the way you operate and respond to that.  Relationships are real because everyone is on the same page; if you make a mistake and you are willing to admit it, apologise (if necessary) and move forwards then that earns a lot of respect.  Especially, I have found, amongst people of have a fixed image of what being a Christian is.

In our church family at the moment we're learning a lot about community and living life like Jesus.  Amongst real people living real life, which means walking with them through real situations.  Being ourselves and not trying to be a 'perfect' image of something we will always fail to live up to thereby letting people down.  It means sometimes having to swallow our pride and admit that we have got it wrong but I prefer it 100% to trying to pretend that I never fall down.

Living in the 'after' demands certain things of you, yes.  But it also allows a great sense of freedom.  Jesus died not just to cover the bad things you would do but also to give you the freedom to be the amazing person he designed.  That's the kind of 'after' I can get on board with!

Stop!

Hmm, a bit more rambly than last week.  I'm afraid I lost my way a bit with this theme!  I hope it made sense to those who chose to read it.  As someone who enjoys perfecting the things she writes I'm not sure whether I find it liberating or terrifying not to be able to go back and correct.  It is a literal splurge of my thoughts out into the open!

What's Your Risk?

I mentioned in an earlier post about my time away recently with my church family. Something else which was posed to us whilst there was the question "what is your risk?"

I imagine that this challenged people in a multitude of ways. Some were prompted to step forwards and share with the rest of us. Others turned inwards, became reflective and simply sat. My husband's risk was offering to pray for his boss's daughter who is extremely poorly when he returned to work.

As soon as the words left the Pastor's (I'm positive he won't appreciate this title but needs must!) mouth I felt God drop my 'risk' into my heart. I knew and understood it without even a moments hesitation as it's something I've been wondering and considering for some time.

What was it, I hear you ask?

This.

Me sitting here, writing and sharing this.

Allowing people a look in on my walk of faith.

I am a brilliant compartmentalist.  Every aspect of my life is separated within my brain.  Every role I take on has it's place.  That isn't to say that I'm a different person (much!) in every role and I always aim to be honest about my beliefs with anyone who asks but I'm not forthcoming about it.  I don't talk much about my christian life unless it's prompted.  Even within my church family my contributions are controlled and measured.  For me to be open would be IS a risk.

Publishing this blog on my personal social media networks invites people to look, people who probably wouldn't come into contact with my faith otherwise.  Linking it with my family life blog with it's growing readership is running the risk of slowing that or even losing some regular visitors.

But, I believe that writing is one of my gifts (and one I've discounted until recently) and to not write, about anything, would be to stop God using my gifts for His greater purpose.

Risks cost.  That's well known.  The question really is whether you are willing to pay the price for the bigger picture.

I can't say what the outcome of this risk will be.  There may be loss.  There may be injury to my pride.  I may feel nervous about clicking 'publish', but I have to trust God, that this is just a tiny part of something so much bigger than me.

Even this morning I was still debating over whether to publish this post and whilst scanning over my twitter timeline I saw a quote come up which served as a massive encouragement that sometimes you just have to take that step.

(I'm really learning at the moment that God is always trying to speak to us, even when we're completely unaware of it!)

Then I was reminded of this verse, for days when taking that step seems like it's the hardest thing in the world:

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18 v 2 

What better safety net could we ask for when stepping out into a world of risk?

I don't have any pearls of wisdom to tie this post up nicely I'm afraid.  Just this challenge: what is your risk?  Take some time today to consider it and be encouraged to go for it!

Following the 'unveiling' of my first post on this blog I received some totally unexpected feedback.  A handful of people got in touch with words of encouragement, people I would never expect to read and respond.  Had I not started down this road of risk I would never have seen those messages.  It makes me excited for what else could be on it's way!